The Devastating Effects of Gold Mining on Ivory Coast

Gold Rush Disaster: Environmental Catastrophe Unfolding in Ivory Coast

 The Devastating Effects of Gold Mining on Ivory Coast

1. Lakes Pollution Due to Gold Mining:
2. Lakes Pollution Due to Gold Mining:
3. Destruction of Fisheries by Gold Mining:
4. Rise of Disease Incidence Due to Gold Mining:

1.Lakes Pollution Due to Gold Mining:

The destruction of Lake Willy in central Ivory Coast due to water contamination was emblematic of the crisis last year. The once cornerstone lake in the province now remains unrecognizable, with the local river turning into a thick brown stream. Residents of Willy and ten nearby villages blame the Samina Gold Company, which recently expanded into the area, for this environmental degradation.

2.Destruction of Fisheries by Gold Mining:

Ivory Coast's lakes and rivers used to teem with fish and aquatic life, but today, they lay barren. The waters have died, leaving nothing for the region's leading food producers—fishermen and farmers. Gold mining and its pollution of aquatic habitats have led to this devastation. Despite this, the responsible company, Go Samina, denies any wrongdoing and has not responded to requests for comment from France 24, which investigated the matter.

Destruction of Fisheries by Gold Mining

3.Water Pollution Assessment from Gold Mining:

The Ivorian Pollution Control Center has collected water samples to analyze the nature and source of pollution. If chemical elements are found in the water, it will severely impact fishery resources. The food chain will be contaminated, posing risks to human health as villages rely on fish for sustenance. Accumulation of these heavy elements in the food chain may lead to human contamination.

4.Rise of Disease Incidence Due to Gold Mining:

Toxicologist warns that water polluted with industrial waste can have severe health and environmental impacts. Diseases rooted in these areas might become endemic, with mercury or cyanide causing lung diseases, neurological disorders, blood diseases, and congenital deformities that could affect future generations. Fish and shellfish from dozens of gold mining companies operating in Ivory Coast are already being affected by water pollution, according to the National Pollution Control Center in Ivory Coast. Water pollution is on the rise in areas with dense gold mining activities.